This is the second episode of a two-part series on Neuroscience and Hindustani Music. It explores a research program on understanding the emotions that Hindustani music can evoke in people. This research is guided by<a href="https://twitter.com/nanchatter?lang=en"> Dr. Nandini Singh Chatterjee</a>, a scientist at the National Brain Research Centre at Manesar, India, where she heads the <a href="https://nandinisingh.wixsite.com/labweb">Language, Literacy and Music Laboratory.</a> This episode specifically focusses on the <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?type=printable&amp;id=10.1371/journal.pone.0222380">second study</a> that was published in 2019, based on the responses of Indian participants to a set of Hindustani music samples. The music used in this podcast is a part of the samples used in the research study, played by sarod artist Pandit. Mukesh Sharma. <a href="https://twitter.com/HymavathyB">Hymavathy Balasubramanian</a> kindly provided access to the music files. Here is the <a href="http://emotion-in-music.nbrc.ac.in/p1/">website </a>where you can listen to the music samples and contribute your responses to the ongoing research program. Dr. Nandini Singh Chatterjee is on our database of Indian women neuroscientists, <a href="https://indscicomm.blog/2019/12/27/neurofemindia/">NeuroFem India</a>. Apart from her, the other people who were interviewed for this episode are: <ol><li><a href="http://suhasvijayakumar.in/">Dr. Suhas Vijayakumar</a>, who created the website where the listener survey for the research on Hindustani music is conducted. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University.</li></ol> 2. <a href="https://panditmukeshsharma.com/profile.html">Pandit. Mukesh Sharma</a> is the sarod artist who created the music used in this study. He belongs to the Senia gharana. 3. <a href="https://vishalmidya.github.io/academicpages/">Vishal Midya</a>, the lead author on the 2019 study, is currently pursuing a doctorate at the Penn State College of Medicine. 4. <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/thomas-bak">Dr. Thomas Bak</a> is a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Edinburgh Dr. Nandini&#8217;s group based their calculation of tonality on the method shown in this <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0031942">earlier research</a> on Carnatic music by another group of researchers. Here is the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-9280.00239">previous research</a> from scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Pennsylvania on emotion expressions in Indian Classical Dance. The NIH Director&#8217;s blogpost about NIH funded research on <a href="https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2019/12/03/exploring-the-universality-of-human-song/">universality of human song</a> Update on Feb 12th, 2020: After rebalancing for better overall audio quality between voices and background music, the audio file has been re-uploaded.

This is the second episode of a two-part series on Neuroscience and Hindustani Music. It explores a research program on understanding the emotions that Hindustani music can evoke in people. This research is guided by Dr. Nandini Singh Chatterjee, a scientist at the National Brain Research Centre at Manesar, India, where she heads the Language, Literacy and Music Laboratory. This episode specifically focusses on the second study that was published in 2019, based on the responses of Indian participants to a set of Hindustani music samples. The music used in this podcast is a part of the samples used in the research study, played by sarod artist Pandit. Mukesh Sharma. Hymavathy Balasubramanian kindly provided access to the music files. Here is the website where you can listen to the music samples and contribute your responses to the ongoing research program. Dr. Nandini Singh Chatterjee is on our database of Indian women neuroscientists, NeuroFem India. Apart from her, the other people who were interviewed for this episode are: Dr. Suhas Vijayakumar, who created the website where the listener survey for the research on Hindustani music is conducted. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University. 2. Pandit. Mukesh Sharma is the sarod artist who created the music used in this study. He belongs to the Senia gharana. 3. Vishal Midya, the lead author on the 2019 study, is currently pursuing a doctorate at the Penn State College of Medicine. 4. Dr. Thomas Bak is a cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Edinburgh Dr. Nandini&#8217;s group based their calculation of tonality on the method shown in this earlier research on Carnatic music by another group of researchers. Here is the previous research from scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Pennsylvania on emotion expressions in Indian Classical Dance. The NIH Director&#8217;s blogpost about NIH funded research on universality of human song Update on Feb 12th, 2020: After rebalancing for better overall audio quality between voices and background music, the audio file has been re-uploaded. 

IndSciComm podcasts

Emotions & Hindustani Music – Part 2

This is the first episode of a two-part series on Neuroscience and Hindustani Music. It explores a research program on understanding the emotions that Hindustani music can evoke in people. This research is guided by<a href="https://twitter.com/nanchatter?lang=en"> Dr. Nandini Singh Chatterjee</a>, a scientist at the National Brain Research Centre at Manesar, India, where she heads the <a href="https://nandinisingh.wixsite.com/labweb">Language, Literacy and Music Laboratory.</a> This episode explores the <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00513/full">first study</a> that was published in 2015, based on the responses of Indian participants to a set of Hindustani music samples. The music used in this podcast is a part of the samples used in the research study, played by sarod artist Pandit. Mukesh Sharma. <a href="https://twitter.com/HymavathyB">Hymavathy Balasubramanian</a> kindly provided access to the music files. Here is the <a href="http://emotion-in-music.nbrc.ac.in/p1/">website </a>where you can listen to the music samples and contribute your responses to the ongoing research program. Dr. Nandini Singh Chatterjee is on our database of Indian women neuroscientists, <a href="https://indscicomm.blog/2019/12/27/neurofemindia/">NeuroFem India</a>. Apart from her, the other scientists who were interviewed for this episode are: Dr. Avantika Mathur, the lead author of the 2015 study, and currently a <a href="https://www.thewanglab.com/people">postdoctoral research fellow</a> in the Centre for Brain, Biology and Behavior at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA. <a href="https://twitter.com/mshar86?lang=en">Dr. Megha Sharda</a> most recently completed a postdoctoral research stint at the University of Montreal, Canada. <a href="https://www.bhismalab.org/">Dr. Bhismadev Chakrabarti</a> is <a href="https://www.reading.ac.uk/psychology/about/staff/b-chakrabarti.aspx">Professor of Cognitive Science</a> at the University of Reading, United Kingdom.

This is the first episode of a two-part series on Neuroscience and Hindustani Music. It explores a research program on understanding the emotions that Hindustani music can evoke in people. This research is guided by Dr. Nandini Singh Chatterjee, a scientist at the National Brain Research Centre at Manesar, India, where she heads the Language, Literacy and Music Laboratory. This episode explores the first study that was published in 2015, based on the responses of Indian participants to a set of Hindustani music samples. The music used in this podcast is a part of the samples used in the research study, played by sarod artist Pandit. Mukesh Sharma. Hymavathy Balasubramanian kindly provided access to the music files. Here is the website where you can listen to the music samples and contribute your responses to the ongoing research program. Dr. Nandini Singh Chatterjee is on our database of Indian women neuroscientists, NeuroFem India. Apart from her, the other scientists who were interviewed for this episode are: Dr. Avantika Mathur, the lead author of the 2015 study, and currently a postdoctoral research fellow in the Centre for Brain, Biology and Behavior at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA. Dr. Megha Sharda most recently completed a postdoctoral research stint at the University of Montreal, Canada. Dr. Bhismadev Chakrabarti is Professor of Cognitive Science at the University of Reading, United Kingdom. 

Emotions & Hindustani Music – Part 1

This is our first podcast in Telugu – the sixth in an ongoing series titled ‘Sea of Science’, or ‘ విజ్ఞాన సాగరం ’. This podcast is a joint venture with Deepthi Tadepalli and Sumana Chavali. Deepthi works as a freelance writer with a background in biotechnology and communication. Sumana is an engineer working at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics. This episode is part of our ongoing effort to make science podcasts in many Indian languages. Click and listen to this podcast in<a href="https://indscicomm.blog/podcast/sea-of-science-model-organisms/"> Tamizh</a>, <a href="https://indscicomm.blog/podcast/vigyaan-ka-saagar/">Hindi</a>, <a href="https://indscicomm.blog/podcast/vigyan-sagar/">Marathi</a>, <a href="https://indscicomm.blog/podcast/vigyana-sagara/">Kannada</a> and <a href="https://indscicomm.blog/podcast/bigyaan-samudr/">Assamese</a>. Here is an English transcript for this Telugu podcast: Deepthi: Hello! My name is Deepthi and I am a freelance writer with a background in biotechnology and communication.&nbsp; Sumana: Hi! My name is Sumana and I am an engineer working at Indian Institute of Astrophysics. Deepthi: This podcast is a collaboration between us and IndScicomm, a science communication collective. In its ongoing efforts, IndSciComm has published podcasts as well as written articles that discuss interesting aspects of scientific research, the researchers involved in this effort, their discoveries and the effects of scientific progress on the past, present and future of human society. IndSciComm also collaborates with Indian scientists, researchers and writers at all levels of the scientific enterprise in creating its science communication materials. Sumana: We are very happy to present this podcast in Telugu, which is one of the national languages of India. With the help of other collaborators, IndSciComm is publishing this podcast in other Indian languages as part of its ongoing project. Deepthi: In this podcast, we will be talking about model organisms that are used in biological research. Now, let’s discuss model organisms. Here are some examples of model organisms that are used to study aspects of the human body’s growth, development, functioning and disorders: different species of microbes, flies, zebrafish, birds, mice, rats, guinea pigs and monkeys. In the context of biomedical research that is done to understand human biology, &nbsp;the foremost reason for the use of model organisms is that it is not possible to conduct some forms of biological experiments on humans. So, scientists have chosen organisms that are a close enough match to humans in terms of their genes and other biological features, and use these as model organisms for their research. Sumana:&nbsp;Apart from how similar model organisms are to humans in terms of their genes and genomes, there are other important reasons for some organisms being chosen as model organisms rather than others. The ease with which certain organisms can be reared and maintained in the laboratory and the kind of experiments that they can be used for… These are the factors that scientists use to choose the appropriate organism to use as a model, to answer questions about specific biological phenomena. Deepthi:&nbsp;Sumana, could you give us some examples of model organisms that are used in specific areas of biological research? Sumana:&nbsp;Specific model organisms are used in different areas of research. For example, regeneration is studied using certain species of worms. The relationship between genes and the environment is researched using certain species of flies.&nbsp;Zebrafish are preferred model organisms for researching embryonic development. Zebrafish larvae have transparent bodies which makes observing their internal organs really easy. Another example is the use of mammals like mice in biomedical research. Deepthi:&nbsp;Is there an advantage to using model organisms like mice in biomedical research? Sumana:&nbsp;Some diseases take years to show symptoms in human beings. But, in certain lineages of model organisms, diseases can show symptoms in relatively reduced timeframes, like weeks. Due to this, it is easier to conduct research about certain diseases in such model organisms.&nbsp;This is why scientists use model organisms like mice to conduct research about medicines or treatment methods for some diseases. Deepthi:&nbsp;But, there are some disadvantages in using model organisms for biomedical research.&nbsp;Despite the similarities between humans and model organisms in terms of their genes, there are some unavoidable differences between them. Due to these differences, some cause and effect relationships seen while using a species of model organism are not apparent or reproducible in other organisms and humans. In addition, it is often difficult to directly apply or modify the experimental protocols used for one species or type of model organism to another. Sumana:&nbsp;The take home message from all this is that the use of human volunteers is essential, for the validation of therapeutic methods or drugs that are developed in model organisms, before such therapies are used to treat human patients. Deepthi:&nbsp;We humans have a strange relationship with model organisms. Despite the differences that exist between us, we share some fundamental similarities. It is due to these similarities that research on model organisms yields results that can be applied to humans. But, why do our similarities make it necessary to use model organisms in an ethical manner? And how do scientists put ethical considerations into practice? Sumana:&nbsp;Scientific research is always a struggle between what is necessary and what is possible.&nbsp;This struggle attains an ethical aspect in biological research. This is because most living organisms can feel pain and bodily suffering just like humans do. So, it is unethical to cause unnecessary suffering to model organisms. Bound by this principle, scientists enforce the ethical treatment of model organisms in different ways. These include reducing pain in model organisms using medication, providing comfortable living conditions and making efficient use of the available animal resources. Deepthi:&nbsp;Scientific research methodology is very difficult, whether it is to figure out how to ethically treat model organisms or solve complex biological problems…scientists have very difficult jobs.&nbsp;But without the contribution of model organisms, their efforts would not have yielded any results.&nbsp;The use of model organisms has led to many societal and medical benefits. The use of antibiotics like penicillin to combat microbes, blood transfusions and organ transplants, vaccines for diseases like polio, the management of diseases like diabetes… we could keep adding to this list and this podcast will never end!&nbsp;The sheer number of invaluable human lives that have been saved using these discoveries is uncountable. Sumana:&nbsp;Model organisms are an important tool in biological research in order to understand the mysteries of the human body in disease and in health.&nbsp;Scientists have discovered how many drugs and treatments work based on their experiments on model organisms. Supported by these advances, doctors have been able to cure many human diseases. Scientists are working hard in order to understand many more diseases and processes such as growth and metabolism in humans. Deepthi:&nbsp;In our next episode of this podcast, we will be talking about the use of mice as model organisms. Until then, dear listeners, you can enjoy much of our scicomm work on our website indscicomm.blog, <a href="http://www.wayfarerstories.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.wayfarerstories.com</a> and our twitter handle @indscicomm. Until we meet again, on behalf of Indscicomm this is Deepthi and Sumana. Namaste. Intro, Interlude and Outro music – adapted from travelLight by airtone (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. <a href="http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/airtone/56883" rel="nofollow">http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/airtone/56883</a>

 This is our first podcast in Telugu – the sixth in an ongoing series titled ‘Sea of Science’, or ‘ విజ్ఞాన సాగరం ’. This podcast is a joint venture with Deepthi Tadepalli and Sumana Chavali. Deepthi works as a freelance writer with a background in biotechnology and communication. Sumana is an engineer working at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics. This episode is part of our ongoing effort to make science podcasts in many Indian languages. Click and listen to this podcast in Tamizh, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada and Assamese. Here is an English transcript for this Telugu podcast: Deepthi: Hello! My name is Deepthi and I am a freelance writer with a background in biotechnology and communication.&nbsp; Sumana: Hi! My name is Sumana and I am an engineer working at Indian Institute of Astrophysics. Deepthi: This podcast is a collaboration between us and IndScicomm, a science communication collective. In its ongoing efforts, IndSciComm has published podcasts as well as written articles that discuss interesting aspects of scientific research, the researchers involved in this effort, their discoveries and the effects of scientific progress on the past, present and future of human society. IndSciComm also collaborates with Indian scientists, researchers and writers at all levels of the scientific enterprise in creating its science communication materials. Sumana: We are very happy to present this podcast in Telugu, which is one of the national languages of India. With the help of other collaborators, IndSciComm is publishing this podcast in other Indian languages as part of its ongoing project. Deepthi: In this podcast, we will be talking about model organisms that are used in biological research. Now, let’s discuss model organisms. Here are some examples of model organisms that are used to study aspects of the human body’s growth, development, functioning and disorders: different species of microbes, flies, zebrafish, birds, mice, rats, guinea pigs and monkeys. In the context of biomedical research that is done to understand human biology, &nbsp;the foremost reason for the use of model organisms is that it is not possible to conduct some forms of biological experiments on humans. So, scientists have chosen organisms that are a close enough match to humans in terms of their genes and other biological features, and use these as model organisms for their research. Sumana:&nbsp;Apart from how similar model organisms are to humans in terms of their genes and genomes, there are other important reasons for some organisms being chosen as model organisms rather than others. The ease with which certain organisms can be reared and maintained in the laboratory and the kind of experiments that they can be used for… These are the factors that scientists use to choose the appropriate organism to use as a model, to answer questions about specific biological phenomena. Deepthi:&nbsp;Sumana, could you give us some examples of model organisms that are used in specific areas of biological research? Sumana:&nbsp;Specific model organisms are used in different areas of research. For example, regeneration is studied using certain species of worms. The relationship between genes and the environment is researched using certain species of flies.&nbsp;Zebrafish are preferred model organisms for researching embryonic development. Zebrafish larvae have transparent bodies which makes observing their internal organs really easy. Another example is the use of mammals like mice in biomedical research. Deepthi:&nbsp;Is there an advantage to using model organisms like mice in biomedical research? Sumana:&nbsp;Some diseases take years to show symptoms in human beings. But, in certain lineages of model organisms, diseases can show symptoms in relatively reduced timeframes, like weeks. Due to this, it is easier to conduct research about certain diseases in such model organisms.&nbsp;This is why scientists use model organisms like mice to conduct research about medicines or treatment methods for some diseases. Deepthi:&nbsp;But, there are some disadvantages in using model organisms for biomedical research.&nbsp;Despite the similarities between humans and model organisms in terms of their genes, there are some unavoidable differences between them. Due to these differences, some cause and effect relationships seen while using a species of model organism are not apparent or reproducible in other organisms and humans. In addition, it is often difficult to directly apply or modify the experimental protocols used for one species or type of model organism to another. Sumana:&nbsp;The take home message from all this is that the use of human volunteers is essential, for the validation of therapeutic methods or drugs that are developed in model organisms, before such therapies are used to treat human patients. Deepthi:&nbsp;We humans have a strange relationship with model organisms. Despite the differences that exist between us, we share some fundamental similarities. It is due to these similarities that research on model organisms yields results that can be applied to humans. But, why do our similarities make it necessary to use model organisms in an ethical manner? And how do scientists put ethical considerations into practice? Sumana:&nbsp;Scientific research is always a struggle between what is necessary and what is possible.&nbsp;This struggle attains an ethical aspect in biological research. This is because most living organisms can feel pain and bodily suffering just like humans do. So, it is unethical to cause unnecessary suffering to model organisms. Bound by this principle, scientists enforce the ethical treatment of model organisms in different ways. These include reducing pain in model organisms using medication, providing comfortable living conditions and making efficient use of the available animal resources. Deepthi:&nbsp;Scientific research methodology is very difficult, whether it is to figure out how to ethically treat model organisms or solve complex biological problems…scientists have very difficult jobs.&nbsp;But without the contribution of model organisms, their efforts would not have yielded any results.&nbsp;The use of model organisms has led to many societal and medical benefits. The use of antibiotics like penicillin to combat microbes, blood transfusions and organ transplants, vaccines for diseases like polio, the management of diseases like diabetes… we could keep adding to this list and this podcast will never end!&nbsp;The sheer number of invaluable human lives that have been saved using these discoveries is uncountable. Sumana:&nbsp;Model organisms are an important tool in biological research in order to understand the mysteries of the human body in disease and in health.&nbsp;Scientists have discovered how many drugs and treatments work based on their experiments on model organisms. Supported by these advances, doctors have been able to cure many human diseases. Scientists are working hard in order to understand many more diseases and processes such as growth and metabolism in humans. Deepthi:&nbsp;In our next episode of this podcast, we will be talking about the use of mice as model organisms. Until then, dear listeners, you can enjoy much of our scicomm work on our website indscicomm.blog, http://www.wayfarerstories.com and our twitter handle @indscicomm. Until we meet again, on behalf of Indscicomm this is Deepthi and Sumana. Namaste. Intro, Interlude and Outro music – adapted from travelLight by airtone (c) copyright 2017 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/airtone/56883 

విజ్ఞాన సాగరం – నమూనా జీవులు

This is our first podcast in Assamese – the fifth in an ongoing series titled ‘Sea of Science’, or ‘ বিজ্ঞান সমুদ্ৰ ’. This podcast is a joint venture with Dr. Joli Rumi Borah and Pranab Jyoti Bhuyan. <a href="https://twitter.com/Ejakrod">Dr. Joli Rumi Borah</a> works as a Conservation Officer at the Royal Society for Protection of Birds in Northern Ireland. She also communicates the latest developments in scientific research (in Assamese) through <a href="https://twitter.com/SciComAssamese">Twitter</a> and <a href="http://joliborah.blogspot.com/">blogging</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/pranabjbhuyan">Pranab Jyoti Bhuyan</a> is a Phd student in the Department of Physics at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. This episode is part of our ongoing effort to make science podcasts in many Indian languages. Click and listen to this podcast in<a href="https://indscicomm.blog/podcast/sea-of-science-model-organisms/"> Tamizh</a>, <a href="https://indscicomm.blog/podcast/vigyaan-ka-saagar/">Hindi</a>, <a href="https://indscicomm.blog/podcast/vigyan-sagar/">Marathi</a>, and <a href="https://indscicomm.blog/podcast/vigyana-sagara/">Kannada</a>. Here is an English transcript for this Assamese podcast: Pranab: Hello! My name is Pranab Jyoti Bhuyan. I am a Phd student at the Department of Physics in Indian Institute of Science. Joli: Hello, I am Dr. Joli Rumi. I am a conservation scientist. I am working as a Conservation Officer at Royal Society for Protection of Birds in Northern Ireland. Pranab: We are really pleased to collaborate with IndScicomm, a science communication collective in their ongoing efforts. IndScicomm has created podcasts as well as written articles that discuss interesting aspects of scientific research, the researchers involved in this effort, their discoveries and the effects of scientific progress on the past, present and future of human society. They also collaborate with Indian scientists, researchers and writers at all levels of the scientific enterprise in creating our science communication materials. We are very happy to present this podcast in Assamese, which is one of the national languages of India. IndSciComm has previously published translated versions of this podcast in many Indian languages and is expanding this project into other languages. Joli will now introduce the topic of our conversation. Joli: In this part of the podcast, we will be talking about model organisms that are used in biological research. In the next part of this podcast, we will specifically talk about the use of mice as model organisms. Pranab: Now, before talking about mice, let’s discuss model organisms. Here are some examples of model organisms that are used to study aspects of the human body’s growth, development, functioning and disorders: different species of microbes, flies, zebrafish, birds, mice, rats, guinea pigs and monkeys. In the context of biomedical research that is done to understand human biology, the foremost reason for the use of model organisms is that it is not possible to conduct some forms of biological experiments on humans. So, scientists have chosen organisms that are a close enough match to humans in terms of their genes and other biological features, and use these as model organisms for their research. Joli: Apart from how similar model organisms are to humans in terms of their genes and genomes, there are other important reasons for some organisms being chosen as model organisms rather than others. The ease with which certain organisms can be reared and maintained in the laboratory and the kind of experiments that they can be used for… These are the factors that scientists use to choose the appropriate organism to use as a model, to answer questions about specific biological phenomena. Pranab: Joli, could you give us some examples of model organisms that are used in specific areas of biological research? Joli: Specific model organisms are used in different areas of research. For example, regeneration is studied using certain species of worms. The relationship between genes and the environment is researched using certain species of flies. Zebrafish are preferred model organisms for researching embryonic development. Zebrafish larvae have transparent bodies which makes observing their internal organs really easy. Another example is the use of mammals like mice in biomedical research. Pranab: Is there an advantage to using model organisms like mice in biomedical research? Joli: Some diseases take years to show symptoms in human beings. But, in certain lineages of model organisms, diseases can show symptoms in relatively reduced timeframes, like weeks. Due to this, it is easier to conduct research about certain diseases in such model organisms. This is why scientists use model organisms like mice to conduct research about medicines or treatment methods for some diseases. Pranab: But, there are some disadvantages in using model organisms for biomedical research. Despite the similarities between humans and model organisms in terms of their genes, there are some unavoidable differences between them. Due to these differences, some cause and effect relationships seen while using a species of model organism are not apparent or reproducible in other organisms and humans. In addition, it is often difficult to directly apply or modify the experimental protocols used for one species or type of model organism to another. Joli: The take home message from all this is that the use of human volunteers is essential, for the validation of therapeutic methods or drugs that are developed in model organisms, before such therapies are used to treat human patients. Pranab: We humans have a strange relationship with model organisms. Despite the differences that exist between us, we share some fundamental similarities. It is due to these similarities that research on model organisms yields results that can be applied  to humans. But, why do our similarities make it necessary to use model organisms in an ethical manner? And how do scientists put ethical considerations into practice? Joli: Scientific research is always a struggle between what is necessary and what is possible. This struggle attains an ethical aspect in biological research. This is because most living organisms can feel pain and bodily suffering just like humans do. So, it is unethical to cause unnecessary suffering to model organisms. Bound by this principle, scientists enforce the ethical treatment of model organisms in different ways. These include reducing pain in model organisms using medication, providing comfortable living conditions and making efficient use of the available animal resources. Pranab: Scientific research methodology is very difficult, whether it is to figure out how to ethically treat model organisms or solve complex biological problems…scientists have very difficult jobs. But without the contribution of model organisms, their efforts would not have yielded any results. The use of model organisms has led to many societal and medical benefits. The use of antibiotics like penicillin to combat microbes, blood transfusions and organ transplants, vaccines for diseases like polio, the management of diseases like diabetes… we could keep adding to this list and this podcast will never end! The sheer number of invaluable human lives that have been saved using these discoveries is uncountable. Joli: Model organisms are an important tool in biological research in order to understand the mysteries of the human body in disease and in health. Scientists have discovered how many drugs and treatments work based on their experiments on model organisms. Supported by these advances, doctors have been able to cure many human diseases. Scientists are working hard in order to understand many more diseases and processes such as growth and metabolism in humans. Pranab: In our next episode of this podcast, we will be talking about the use of mice as model organisms. Until then, dear listeners, you can enjoy much of our scicomm work on our website indscicomm.blog and our twitter handle @indscicomm. Joli: Also, if you are interested to know about exciting findings in current science in Assamese, check out সাম্প্ৰতিক বিজ্ঞান section in my blog at joliborah.blogspot.com and my twitter handle @SciComAssamese. Pranab: Until we meet again, on behalf of Indscicomm this is Pranab and Joli. Intro, Interlude and Outro music – adapted fromgravitationalWaves by airtone (c) copyright 2016 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. <a href="http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/airtone/55021" rel="nofollow">http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/airtone/55021</a>

 This is our first podcast in Assamese – the fifth in an ongoing series titled ‘Sea of Science’, or ‘ বিজ্ঞান সমুদ্ৰ ’. This podcast is a joint venture with Dr. Joli Rumi Borah and Pranab Jyoti Bhuyan. Dr. Joli Rumi Borah works as a Conservation Officer at the Royal Society for Protection of Birds in Northern Ireland. She also communicates the latest developments in scientific research (in Assamese) through Twitter and blogging. Pranab Jyoti Bhuyan is a Phd student in the Department of Physics at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. This episode is part of our ongoing effort to make science podcasts in many Indian languages. Click and listen to this podcast in Tamizh, Hindi, Marathi, and Kannada. Here is an English transcript for this Assamese podcast: Pranab: Hello! My name is Pranab Jyoti Bhuyan. I am a Phd student at the Department of Physics in Indian Institute of Science. Joli: Hello, I am Dr. Joli Rumi. I am a conservation scientist. I am working as a Conservation Officer at Royal Society for Protection of Birds in Northern Ireland. Pranab: We are really pleased to collaborate with IndScicomm, a science communication collective in their ongoing efforts. IndScicomm has created podcasts as well as written articles that discuss interesting aspects of scientific research, the researchers involved in this effort, their discoveries and the effects of scientific progress on the past, present and future of human society. They also collaborate with Indian scientists, researchers and writers at all levels of the scientific enterprise in creating our science communication materials. We are very happy to present this podcast in Assamese, which is one of the national languages of India. IndSciComm has previously published translated versions of this podcast in many Indian languages and is expanding this project into other languages. Joli will now introduce the topic of our conversation. Joli: In this part of the podcast, we will be talking about model organisms that are used in biological research. In the next part of this podcast, we will specifically talk about the use of mice as model organisms. Pranab: Now, before talking about mice, let’s discuss model organisms. Here are some examples of model organisms that are used to study aspects of the human body’s growth, development, functioning and disorders: different species of microbes, flies, zebrafish, birds, mice, rats, guinea pigs and monkeys. In the context of biomedical research that is done to understand human biology, the foremost reason for the use of model organisms is that it is not possible to conduct some forms of biological experiments on humans. So, scientists have chosen organisms that are a close enough match to humans in terms of their genes and other biological features, and use these as model organisms for their research. Joli: Apart from how similar model organisms are to humans in terms of their genes and genomes, there are other important reasons for some organisms being chosen as model organisms rather than others. The ease with which certain organisms can be reared and maintained in the laboratory and the kind of experiments that they can be used for… These are the factors that scientists use to choose the appropriate organism to use as a model, to answer questions about specific biological phenomena. Pranab: Joli, could you give us some examples of model organisms that are used in specific areas of biological research? Joli: Specific model organisms are used in different areas of research. For example, regeneration is studied using certain species of worms. The relationship between genes and the environment is researched using certain species of flies. Zebrafish are preferred model organisms for researching embryonic development. Zebrafish larvae have transparent bodies which makes observing their internal organs really easy. Another example is the use of mammals like mice in biomedical research. Pranab: Is there an advantage to using model organisms like mice in biomedical research? Joli: Some diseases take years to show symptoms in human beings. But, in certain lineages of model organisms, diseases can show symptoms in relatively reduced timeframes, like weeks. Due to this, it is easier to conduct research about certain diseases in such model organisms. This is why scientists use model organisms like mice to conduct research about medicines or treatment methods for some diseases. Pranab: But, there are some disadvantages in using model organisms for biomedical research. Despite the similarities between humans and model organisms in terms of their genes, there are some unavoidable differences between them. Due to these differences, some cause and effect relationships seen while using a species of model organism are not apparent or reproducible in other organisms and humans. In addition, it is often difficult to directly apply or modify the experimental protocols used for one species or type of model organism to another. Joli: The take home message from all this is that the use of human volunteers is essential, for the validation of therapeutic methods or drugs that are developed in model organisms, before such therapies are used to treat human patients. Pranab: We humans have a strange relationship with model organisms. Despite the differences that exist between us, we share some fundamental similarities. It is due to these similarities that research on model organisms yields results that can be applied  to humans. But, why do our similarities make it necessary to use model organisms in an ethical manner? And how do scientists put ethical considerations into practice? Joli: Scientific research is always a struggle between what is necessary and what is possible. This struggle attains an ethical aspect in biological research. This is because most living organisms can feel pain and bodily suffering just like humans do. So, it is unethical to cause unnecessary suffering to model organisms. Bound by this principle, scientists enforce the ethical treatment of model organisms in different ways. These include reducing pain in model organisms using medication, providing comfortable living conditions and making efficient use of the available animal resources. Pranab: Scientific research methodology is very difficult, whether it is to figure out how to ethically treat model organisms or solve complex biological problems…scientists have very difficult jobs. But without the contribution of model organisms, their efforts would not have yielded any results. The use of model organisms has led to many societal and medical benefits. The use of antibiotics like penicillin to combat microbes, blood transfusions and organ transplants, vaccines for diseases like polio, the management of diseases like diabetes… we could keep adding to this list and this podcast will never end! The sheer number of invaluable human lives that have been saved using these discoveries is uncountable. Joli: Model organisms are an important tool in biological research in order to understand the mysteries of the human body in disease and in health. Scientists have discovered how many drugs and treatments work based on their experiments on model organisms. Supported by these advances, doctors have been able to cure many human diseases. Scientists are working hard in order to understand many more diseases and processes such as growth and metabolism in humans. Pranab: In our next episode of this podcast, we will be talking about the use of mice as model organisms. Until then, dear listeners, you can enjoy much of our scicomm work on our website indscicomm.blog and our twitter handle @indscicomm. Joli: Also, if you are interested to know about exciting findings in current science in Assamese, check out সাম্প্ৰতিক বিজ্ঞান section in my blog at joliborah.blogspot.com and my twitter handle @SciComAssamese. Pranab: Until we meet again, on behalf of Indscicomm this is Pranab and Joli. Intro, Interlude and Outro music – adapted fromgravitationalWaves by airtone (c) copyright 2016 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/airtone/55021 

বিজ্ঞান সমুদ্ৰ – জীৱবিজ্ঞানৰ গৱেষণাত আৰ্হি জীৱ

This is our first podcast in Kannada– the fourth in an ongoing series titled ‘Sea of Science’, or ‘ವಿಜ್ಞಾನ ಸಾಗರ’. This podcast is a joint venture with <a href="https://twitter.com/kollegala?lang=en">Mr. Kollegala Sharma</a> and Dr. J. R. Manjunatha. They have taken the lead in producing this Kannada version from our original English script. Mr. Sharma specialises in science communication in multiple formats. He is the force behind &#8216;Janasuddi&#8217;, a science news podcast in Kannada. Dr. J.R. Manjunatha is an NMR expert and Senior Technical Officer at CSIR <a href="https://www.cftri.com/">CFTRI</a> in Mysuru. This episode is part of an effort to make science podcasts in many Indian languages. Click <a href="https://indscicomm.blog/podcast/sea-of-science-model-organisms/">here</a> to listen to our first episode focused on the same topic in a different Indian language – Tamizh and read the script in English. Intro, Interlude and Outro music – adapted from <a href="https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Pictures_of_the_Floating_World/Perennial/">Perennial </a>by Pictures of the Floating World from Free Music Archive.

This is our first podcast in Kannada– the fourth in an ongoing series titled ‘Sea of Science’, or ‘ವಿಜ್ಞಾನ ಸಾಗರ’. This podcast is a joint venture with Mr. Kollegala Sharma and Dr. J. R. Manjunatha. They have taken the lead in producing this Kannada version from our original English script. Mr. Sharma specialises in science communication in multiple formats. He is the force behind &#8216;Janasuddi&#8217;, a science news podcast in Kannada. Dr. J.R. Manjunatha is an NMR expert and Senior Technical Officer at CSIR CFTRI in Mysuru. This episode is part of an effort to make science podcasts in many Indian languages. Click here to listen to our first episode focused on the same topic in a different Indian language – Tamizh and read the script in English. Intro, Interlude and Outro music – adapted from Perennial by Pictures of the Floating World from Free Music Archive. 

ವಿಜ್ಞಾನ ಸಾಗರ – ಮಾಡೆಲ್ ಜೀವಿಗಳು

This is our first podcast in Marathi – the third in an ongoing series titled&nbsp;‘Sea of Science’, or ‘विज्ञान सागर’. We talk about on the use of model organisms in research with Dr. <a href="http://www.mesbiodiversity.in/faculty.htm">Dhanashree Paranjpe</a>, who is a DBT Ramalingaswami Fellow at the <a href="http://www.mesbiodiversity.in/">Biodiversity department in Abasaheb Garware College</a> in Pune, Maharashtra. This episode is part of an effort to make science podcasts in many Indian languages. Click <a href="https://indscicomm.blog/podcast/sea-of-science-model-organisms/">here</a> to listen to our first episode focused on the same topic in a different Indian language – Tamizh and read the script in English. Intro, Interlude and Outro music –&nbsp;<a href="https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Hold_Music/">Swiftwind</a>&nbsp;by Lee Rosevere from Hold Music on Free Music Archive.

This is our first podcast in Marathi – the third in an ongoing series titled&nbsp;‘Sea of Science’, or ‘विज्ञान सागर’. We talk about on the use of model organisms in research with Dr. Dhanashree Paranjpe, who is a DBT Ramalingaswami Fellow at the Biodiversity department in Abasaheb Garware College in Pune, Maharashtra. This episode is part of an effort to make science podcasts in many Indian languages. Click here to listen to our first episode focused on the same topic in a different Indian language – Tamizh and read the script in English. Intro, Interlude and Outro music –&nbsp;Swiftwind&nbsp;by Lee Rosevere from Hold Music on Free Music Archive. 

विज्ञान सागर – शास्त्रीय संशोधनामध्ये प्राण्यांचा वापर

Where we wind up our second and final season of &#8216;Soupçon of SciComm&#8217;, in view of transitioning to a non-seasonal and more spontaneous format! Listen to all three of us chat about all the science in this season, what caught our fancies and what we thought was cool! Strap in for a 1 hour episode that hopefully captures all the magic of our Season 2! Intro and Outro Music &#8211; <a href="https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_For_Podcasts_2/">In a Moment</a> by Lee Rosevere from Music for Podcasts 2 on Free Music Archive

Where we wind up our second and final season of &#8216;Soupçon of SciComm&#8217;, in view of transitioning to a non-seasonal and more spontaneous format! Listen to all three of us chat about all the science in this season, what caught our fancies and what we thought was cool! Strap in for a 1 hour episode that hopefully captures all the magic of our Season 2! Intro and Outro Music &#8211; In a Moment by Lee Rosevere from Music for Podcasts 2 on Free Music Archive

A Seasonful of Soupçons – The end of Seasons

References: <ol> <li>Gord Fishell&#8217;s <a href="https://fishelllab.hms.harvard.edu/">laboratory</a></li> <li><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Ne2Z7QQAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">Leena</a> on Google Scholar</li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/LeenaAIbrahim">Leena</a> on Twitter</li> <li>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_cortex">cerebral cortex</a> &#8211; Wikipedia</li> <li>A <a href="https://knowingneurons.com/2014/11/05/inhibitory-neurons-keeping-the-brains-traffic-in-check/">primer</a> on the interneurons in the cortex &#8211; By Leena on &#8216;Knowing Neurons&#8217;</li> <li>The <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-018-0205-2.epdf">publication</a> of the discovery of Rosehip neurons (Please contact IndSciComm if access not available)</li> <li>Intro and Outro music &#8211; <a href="https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_For_Podcasts/">Let&#8217;s start at the beginning</a> by Lee Rosevere from Music for Podcasts on Free Music Archive</li> </ol>

References: Gord Fishell&#8217;s laboratory Leena on Google Scholar Leena on Twitter The cerebral cortex &#8211; Wikipedia A primer on the interneurons in the cortex &#8211; By Leena on &#8216;Knowing Neurons&#8217; The publication of the discovery of Rosehip neurons (Please contact IndSciComm if access not available) Intro and Outro music &#8211; Let&#8217;s start at the beginning by Lee Rosevere from Music for Podcasts on Free Music Archive 

A Soupçon of SciComm with Leena Ali Ibrahim on thinking about the brain

References: <ol> <li>Rohini&#8217;s <a href="https://runurohini.wixsite.com/rohinisingh">website</a></li> <li>Rohini&#8217;s <a href="https://web.sas.upenn.edu/linksvayer-lab/people/">work and laboratory</a> at University of Pennsylvania</li> <li><a href="https://blog.myrmecologicalnews.org/2018/10/11/doing-an-ant-phd-rohini-singh/">Doing an Ant PhD</a> &#8211; More details about Rohini&#8217;s ongoing thesis</li> <li> What is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociality">Sociality</a>?</li> <li>An introduction to <a href="https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/an-introduction-to-eusociality-15788128">Eusociality</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.npr.org/2008/11/29/97547749/the-secret-society-of-superorganisms">The Secret Society of Superorganisms</a> &#8211; on All Things Considered by NPR</li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8d929USw_4">The Ant superorganism</a> &#8211; Youtube video</li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdPsVpD6b08">Empire of the Ants</a> &#8211; A BBC documentary by David Attenborough</li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n0SkIGARuo">Planet Ant &#8211; Life inside a Colony</a> on BBC Scotland</li> <li>Intro and Outro music &#8211; <a href="https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_For_Podcasts_5/">Everywhere</a> by Lee Rosevere from &#8216;Music for Podcasts 5&#8217; on the Free Music Archive</li> </ol>

References: Rohini&#8217;s website Rohini&#8217;s work and laboratory at University of Pennsylvania Doing an Ant PhD &#8211; More details about Rohini&#8217;s ongoing thesis  What is Sociality? An introduction to Eusociality The Secret Society of Superorganisms &#8211; on All Things Considered by NPR The Ant superorganism &#8211; Youtube video Empire of the Ants &#8211; A BBC documentary by David Attenborough Planet Ant &#8211; Life inside a Colony on BBC Scotland Intro and Outro music &#8211; Everywhere by Lee Rosevere from &#8216;Music for Podcasts 5&#8217; on the Free Music Archive 

A Soupçon of Scicomm with Rohini Singh on Sociality

References: <ol> <li>Abhilasha&#8217;s <a href="https://pharm.ox.ac.uk/team/abhilasha-joshi">profile and publications</a> in the Department of Pharmacology in Oxford</li> <li>Abhilasha&#8217;s <a href="https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(17)31026-7">paper</a> where Teevra and Komal cells are described. (Please email Indscicomm@gmail.com for a copy if you hit a paywall)</li> <li>Abhilasha on <a href="https://twitter.com/AbhilashaJoshi7">twitter</a></li> <li>Intro and Outro Music from &#8216;<a href="https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Telecom/">Telecom</a>&#8216; by Lee Rosevere on Free Music Archive</li> </ol>

References: Abhilasha&#8217;s profile and publications in the Department of Pharmacology in Oxford Abhilasha&#8217;s paper where Teevra and Komal cells are described. (Please email Indscicomm@gmail.com for a copy if you hit a paywall) Abhilasha on twitter Intro and Outro Music from &#8216;Telecom&#8216; by Lee Rosevere on Free Music Archive 

A Soupçon of SciComm with Abhilasha Joshi on how space and time are important in the organization of the brain

Listen to us gum-bashing about science, scicomm and everything else!

hubhopper

IndSciComm podcasts

hubhopper